More User Reviews:

Mixed opinion on this, based on the cask sample. There was no head, just traces of bubbles in the chestnut liquid. Nutty aroma with a hint of smoke, and a bare trace of sweetness. More pronounced smoke in the flavor, but still just peeking through. Dark malty backbone, with surprisingly little roast character to give it depth. Flat and thin feeling, due to the cask, but honestly this left an impression similar to a weak homebrewed Porter.

A bottle sample would be nice, but there's none to be found yet in the states...

Courtesy of Papsoe. 16.9 oz bottle. Lightly smoked, toasted/burnt malts with chocolate and cooked blueberries in the aroma. The body is a deep black and holds a finger thick compressed mocha head. Almost Rauchbier smokey as if it has peat added to it. Low key chcolate notes and a pronounced burnt bitterness through the middle. Mild dark fruit notes. More smokey flavors in the finish. That smokiness just isnt my thing. Decent mouthfeel, but not quite right for an Imperial.

in a tulip glass at Track 84. i will admit, i didn't get much aroma at all from this. it is a little sweet, but i stuck my nose right in the glass and there wasn't much there. taste was well-balanced for an RIS: a hop presence in the background and not too chocolatey. carbonation seemed a bit high for the style. drinkability was off the charts, but that made sense once i saw the abv was at the low end of the imperial stout range. this would be a great choice if you're looking to take things up a notch from a dry stout but not fall down after 3 pints.

D: Tasty, goes down easily, slightly filling, good kick, decent representation of the style while adding the smoked twist well, this is a nice smoky stout that is worth drinking for a while if you're in the mood for that kind of beer.

The beer pours a somewhat hazy, brownish black color with very good head retention and lacing. On the nose, this is one of the strangest beers I've ever come across and I'm not sure what to make of it. There is a distinct aroma of leather interspersed with milk duds. It's OK, but it's also very odd. In fact, every time I took a sip, there was the aroma of cow in my nose. It got a bit old after a while. Taste was pretty good, but not spectacular. It's a fairly sweet stout, with flavors of chocolate, vanilla, cherry and licorise. There is also some underlying hoppiness, which became somewhat tiring as I drank more and more of this beer. While the beer had a nice soft, plush mouthfeel, something in the bitter finish was just a bit off putting.

This was still a solid beer, but just not one of my favorites. Probably will not order it again.

I had this on tap at the Brick Store Pub, and it's nice to see another great beer from Wintercoat. Pours black with brown highlights and a tight tan head. The smell is somewhat light and roasty and sharply herbal. The taste is also on the light side, but roasty with a delicious nuttiness that reminds me of wild rice. There are also flavors of ash, lots of herbs, and a slightly sweet finis. Unusual, somewhat subtle, and very interesting. Very smooth and quite light in the mouth. Excellent, if a bit unusual, and very easy to drink.

Mostly black with some murky brown/ reddish edges and a tan head. Aromas of chocolate/ carob bean, and a faint splash of coffee. The flavor was very similar with a lighter roasted grain quality than I had anticipated with this style. This beer sways more chocolate and sweet than burnt or roasted. Almost like a double bock. Full body with an off-dry nutty/ carob finish. Yes, this was like a cross between an imperial stout and a doppelbock.

A: Pours black with ruby hints around the edges. Tan head is two fingers and has solid retention and lacing throughout.

S: Smell is much sweeter than I had anticipated. There is a huge dark fruit presence with roasted malts and a bit of chocolate and licorice.

T: Taste follows the smell with a big sweet malty taste up front with hints of chocolate and coffee. There was some dark fruits along with additional vanilla sweetness. There was a touch of hops in the taste but not much.

M: Mouthfeel was rich and creamy with moderate carbonation.

D: I actually really liked this beer, despite the fact that I question it's classification as an RIS. It's extremely smooth and sweet which makes it very drinkable. Recommended as a sweet stout.

This beer was all about chocolate. I also got a little charred maltiness that actually reminded me about marshmellows over the camp fire. I loved it. It was relatively dry for an imp st. Full flavored but not impossingly so. Most of the time, it takes some effort for me to get through a big bottle of imp. stout, even one that I enjoy, but this baby went down without a complaint. There was a touch of smokeyness, but it was ever so slight.

Most imp. stouts are slick and low carbonation, while this was anything but slick, it was quite lively. It was very lively, I wouldnt blink at (betting someone else's money) that this was bottle conditioned.

A: Fairly dark brown with minimal head by the time it got to my dimly-lighted table.

S: Not too strong, but some definite sweetness, a bit of chocolate.

T: The restaurant describes this beer as having the taste of "burnt fruit" and I think that's pretty accurate. The beer starts off with this smokiness, but it's not that of charred malt. Towards the middle, I get a lot of smooth, tasty milk chocolate. The finish is fairly subtle, with a little bit of bitterness.

M: Good, seemed appropriate for an 8 and some change abv% stout.

D: Very high. The type of smokiness I get at the beginning of this beer is somewhat unique, but only lasts for a moment. The not-too-high alcohol content and not overly sweet chocolate made it a breeze to go through.

I'm glad I tried this beer, and would have it again. Not the most complex ever, but quite enjoyable. I did not get any sour notes, and can only assume that those who did in previous reviews had an infected version in their glasses.

On tap at The Ginger Man. Pours black with a tan head. Aroma is medicinal with some sweat and odd sour notes. Very off-putting....the flavor doesn't get any better--sourness, still sweaty, acidic, and chalky. I didn't really get any roasted notes. I imagine that the sourness in this beer was intentional which just didn't work out well for it. Palate is boozy, thick, and medicinal. Yuck.